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Title 



Imprint. 



FUR 



THE FUR TRADE. 



M. M. BACKUS. 



[Price 25 Cents.] 



F U E 



THE FUR TRADE. 



M. M. BACKUS. 



1^ 



ft'f" 



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BOSTON: LITTLE, BROWN, & CO. 
1879. 

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Enteral nccunliiu/ fo Art of Cimgres^s, in tJie yea)- 1M78, hy 

Little, Brown, & Company, 

in the. office of the Librarian of Gonr/rens at Washington. 



i 



.Ofjil' 



FUR AND THE FUR TRADE. 



Certain animals, which inhabit the colder climates, 
have a covering upon the skin called fur, lying along- 
side of another and longer covering, called the over 
hair. The fur differs from the overhair in that it is soft, 
silky, curly, downy, and barbed lengthwise, while the over- 
hair is straight, smooth, and comparatively rigid. These 
properties of fur constitute its essential value for felting 
purposes, and mark its difference from wool' and silk; the 
first, after some slight preparation by the aid of hot water, 
readily unites its fibres into a strong and compact mass ; 
the others can best be managed by spinning and weaving. 

On the living animal the overhair keeps the fur filaments 
apart, prevents their tendency to felt, and protects them 
from injury — thus securing to the animal an immunity 
from cold and storm ; while, as a matter of fact, this very 
overhair, though of an humbler name, is most generally the 
beauty and pride of the pelt, and marks its chief value with 
the furrier. We arrive thus at two distinct and opposite 
uses and values of fur. Regarded as useful for felt it is 
denominated staple fur, while with respect to its use with 
and on the pelt it is called fancy fur. For the one purpose 
the Russian hare skin is more valuable than the Russian 
sable, while for the other the sable may be valued at one 
thousand times the former. 
y History. — The manufacture of fur into a felt is of com- 
paratively modern origin, while the use of fur pelts as a 
covering for the body, for the couch, or for the tent is coeval 
with the earliest history of all northern tribes and nations. 



i FUR AND THE FUR TRADE. 

They were not simply a barbarous expedient to defend man 
from the rigours of an arctic winter ; woven wool alone 
cannot, in its most perfect form, accomplish this. The pelt 
or skin is requisite to keep out the piercing wind and driv- 
ing storm, while the fur and overhair ward off the cold ; and 
they are as much a necessity to-day among more northern 
peoples as they ever were in the days of barbarism. With 
them the providing of this necessary covering became the 
first purpose of their toil; subsequently the article grew 
into an object of barter and traffic, at first among themselves, 
and afterwards with their neighbours of more temperate 
climes ; and with the latter it naturally became an article 
of fashion, of ornament, and of luxury. This, in brief, has 
been the history of its use in China, Tartary, Russia, 
Siberia, and North America, and at present the empluy- 
ment of fancy furs among the civilized nations of Europe 
and America has grown to be more extensive than at any 
former period. The supply of this demand in earlier times 
led to such severe competition as to terminate in tribal 
pillages and even national wars ; and in modern times it has 
led to commercial ventures on the part of individuals and 
companies, the account of which, told in its plainest form, 
reads like the pages of a romance. Furs have constituted 
the price of redemption for royal captives, the gifts of 
emperors and kings, and the pecular badge of state function- 
aries. At the present day they vie with precious gems and 
gold as ornaments and garniture for wealth and fashion ; 
but by their abundance, and the cheapness of some varieties, 
they have recently come within the reach of men of moderate 
incomes. .''T'he history of furs can be read in Marco Polo, as 
he grows eloquent with the description of the rich skins of 
the khan of Tartary ; in the early fathers of the church, 
who lament their introduction into Eome and Byzantium 
as an evidence of barbaric and debasing luxury ; in the 
political history of Russia, stretching out a powerful arm 
over Siberia to secure her rich treasures ; in the story of the 
French occupation of Canada, and the ascent of the St 
Lawrence to its source in Lake Superior, and the subsequent 
contest to retain possession against England ; in the early 
settlements of New England, New York, and Virginia ; in 



FUn AXn THE FUR TRADE. 

Irving's Astoria ; in the records of the Hudson's Bay 
Company ; and in the annals of the fairs held at Nijni- 
Novgorod and Leipsic. Here it may suffice to give some 
account of the present condition of the trade in fancy 
fur3. The collection of skins is now chiefly a matter of 
private enterprise. Few, if any, monopolies exist. The 
Alaska Commercial Company, now about ten years old, 
enjoys some special privilege for the taking of seal skins on 
the Pribiloff Islands, and some peculiar restrictioas exist in 
Kussia in relation to certain peltries, but beyond this, the 
trade in furs is a free one the world over. Individual 
enterprise, skill, forecast, and capital, have an open field. 
The Hudson's Bay Company, with its chief office in London, 
still maintains its organization, but conducts its afi^airs in 
North America under no special or royal grant, and com- 
petes in the open market with individual traders throughout 
Canada, Labrador, Manitoba, and Columbia. Its collection 
of peltries is off'ered to the highest bidder at public auction 
in London, in January, March, and September of each year. 
Private collectors and dealers throughout Canada and the 
United States forward their furs to the seaboard, chiefly to 
New York, for sale there, or for consignment principally 
to London and to Leipsic. The latter town still maintains 
the custom of spring and autumn fairs, at which most kinds 
of wares are sold or exchanged with dealers from Turkey, 
Austria, and Russia. Nijni-Novgorod is the chief fair for 
European Russia, though very important fairs are also held 
in Kasan and in Irbit among the Ural Mountains. The most 
important fair for eastern Siberia is held at Kiachta, on 
the borders of China, where an extensive exchange of furs is 
carried on with the Celestials. Japan has added but little 
to the activity or extension of the fur trade, though her 
northern shores have furnished many a fine fur seal and sea 
otter to the hardy navigator. Staple furs, or those used 
chiefly in the manufacture of hats, are those of the hare 
and the rabbit, collected mainly in Russia, Germany, France, 
and England, dressed, carroted, and cut from the skin in 
western Germany, France, Belgium, and England, and 
thence distributed to the manufacturing centres of the 
world ; and here it may be added that the clippings and 



6 FUR AND THE FUR TRADE. 

cuttings of fancy furs from the workshops of furriers are all 
saved, and find their way to the machinery which utilizes 
the waste and transforms them into hatters' furs. But of 
all these fur marts that of London is the chief, for thither 
tend by the laws of trade, not only much of the produce of 
Asia and Europe, but also the fine peltries of Chili and 
Peru, the nutria from Buenos Ayres, the fur seal of Cape 
Horn and South Shetland, the hair seal from Newfoundland, 
as well as the inferior peltries of Africa. To prepare fur 
skins in a way to endure this long transportation is a simple 
and easy matter. When stripped from the animal the flesh 
and fat are carefully removed, and the pelts hung in a cool 
place to dry and harden ; nothing is added to protect them. 
Care is taken that they do not heat after packing, and that 
they are occasionally beaten to destroy worms. A marked 
exception is the case of the fur seal, which is best preserved 
by liberal salting and packing in hogsheads. All other raw 
furs are marketed in bales. 

Kinds and Quantities. — Few kinds of animals furnish a 
pelt of suitable weight and pliability, and all of them differ 
widely in elegance of texture, delicacy of shade, and fineness 
of overhair, and it is these differences which determine 
their place in the catalogue of merchandise. These few 
animals are not very prolific, and many of them attain their 
greatest beauty in wild and uncultivated regions. To this 
remark there are some notable exceptions. Being thus few 
in kind, and limited in quantity, one might fear the extinc- 
tion of the several choice varieties through the persistent 
energy of the trapper. But here the fickleness of fashion 
steps in, and does for the fur trade what the law of supply 
and demand does for the more staple articles of commerce. 
Fashion, fastidious and fickle, neglects the use of certain 
kinds for a season ; the market price of the pelt no longer 
repays the outfit of the trapper ; the hunt is intermitted, 
and in two or three years the animal regains its numbers 
and strength. The annual collection of furs is thus a 
matter of ceaseless change ; but the following may be 
relied on as an estimate correct enough for all practical 
purposes : — 



FUR AND THE FtR TRADE. / 

Average Anmial Collection. 

Badger America 5,000 

Europe and Asia 50,000 

Bear America •■• 15,000 

Europe and Asia 4,000 

Bea;'er ::;;;;::;::;■; Asia 20,000 

America 200,000 

Bulfalo America ^ 100,000 

nhinchilla Peru and Chili 100.000 

Cat, Wild 10.000 

„ House 1,000,000 

Ermine Asia and Europe 400,000 

Fisher America 12,000 

Fitch Europe 600,000 

Fox, Silver Asia and America 2,000 

,, ' Cross Asia and America 10,000 

\^ Blue Europe and America 7,000 

!', White Arctic 75,000 

Red Asia and Europe 300,000 

\\ „ .;; America 60,000 

'] Gray America 30,000 

Kitt America 40,000 

Hamster Europe 200,000 

Hare Asia and Europe 4,500,000 

Kolinsky Asia 80,000 

Lamb.... ; Persian 100,000 

Astrakhan 600,000 

European..... 2,000,000 

Li^n.'::;:.: 500 

Lynx 50,000 

Marten America 310,000 

Stone Europe 150,000 

Baum Europe 60,000 

„ Russian Sable 100,000 

Mink America 250,000 

„ Russia 50,000 

Monkey Africa 40,000 

Musk Rat America 3,000,000 

Russia 100,000 

Nutria Soirth America 3,000,000 

Opossum America 250,000 

Otter, Land 40,000 

„ Sea North Pacific 5,000 

Rabbit Europe 5,000,000 

Raccoon America 500,000 

Seal, Hair Atlantic 1,000,000 

„ Fur Pacific 200,000 

Skunk America 550,000 

Squirrel Siberia 6,000,000 



O rUR AND THE FUR TRADE. 

Tiger Bengal and North China 600 

Wolf 25,000 

Wolverin 3,500 

For the habits of these animals, and their modes of life, 
reference must be made to such notices of these as are 
to be found in the works of Cuvier and Brehm. But a 
brief account may be given here of the different qualities 
of the pelts, with some general remarks as to their aver- 
age value and their customary uses. 

Badger. — Size, 1 by 2 feet; overhair coarse, 3 to 4 inches long, 
black with silver spots. The German are the best. Fur woolly. 
American have softer overhair. Used for robes, military trappings, 
and brushes. Value of prime, from 2s. to 6s. per skin. 

Bear, Black. — Size, 3 by 6 feet; overhair 6 to 8 inches long, 
fine, flowing, and glossy ; fui;thin. Best are American. Used for 
robes, military caps, and mats. '■ The finest are the cubs. Value of 
prime, from £1 to £4. 

Bear, Brown. — Same size as the black, and very fine in overhair. 
Found only in the Hudson's Bay territory. Used for muffs and 
garniture. Value of best prime, £15. Quantity very small. 

Bear, Grizzly. — Larger than the black ; coarse hair; thick heavy 
pelt. Only found in western part of United States. Used as robes. 
Value, £1 to £2. 

Bear, White. — Largest of the bear family ; hair short and rigid; 
pelt thick. Found only in the Arctic regions. The best pure white 
are used for robes. Value from £10 to £20. , 

Beaver. — Size, 2 by 3 feet ; overhair 3 inches long, coarse and 
brown in colour ; fur thick, fine, and dark grey. Best are from 
Lal)rador and Moose Fort. Used in every form and fashion in all 
northern countries ; highly prized in Eussia and China. Value from 
4s. to 12s. per pound in the raw parchment state. 

Buffalo. — Size, 8 to 12 feet lonp; hair coarse, colour dun brown. 
Only found on the western and northern American prairies. Best are 
from the redon of the Saskatchewan river. Prime are used as 
robes ; coarse and unprime as leather for moccasins. Value 12s. 
to £2. 

Cliinchilla. — Two kinds, real and bastard. Size of real, 8 by 12 
inches; overhair and fur of equal length — about 1| inches long, 
very fine, and like wool may be s])un and woven; colour silver 
grey and dark. Best are from Peru. Used for muffs, boas, and 
borders on garments; value from 4s. to 12s. The bastard are from 
Chili (chinchilla means the Chilian skin), short in fur, small in size, 
weak in pelt, and are worth from 5d. to lOd. 

Cat, Wild. — Overhair and fur thin and coarse; colour grey; 
value and uses very limited. Civet cats are^sometimes admired for 
their singular marks, but are in poor demand. House cats are too 
well known to require a description. Their colours are black, grey, 



FUE AND THE FUR TRADE. ^ 

red and mottled. Best come from Holland; the poorest from 
Russia. Used very generally for fur work. Price of best black 4s. 
to 8s. ; other sorts nominal. , . c u ^^a 

Ermine.-Size, 4 by 10 inches; overhair and fur fine soft, and 
close; pelt thin and tough; colour pure white, tlie tip of the tail 
black. Best are from Barabinsk and Ischim in Siberia Used for 
muffs, garments, and linings.^ Value variable; the best have been 
as high as 6s. , and as low as 7d. 

Fisher —Size, 15 by 30 inches; overhair very fine, glossy darK, 
and durable, 2 inches long; fur close; tail 12 inches long, bushy, 
and dark. A right noble skin. Best from British America. A alue 

from £2 to £4. .-it, •„ «,,<• 

Fitch.-Size about that of the American mmk; overhair fine, 
U inches long, with dark points ; fur a golden yellow. Best Irom 
G"ermaiiy, Holland, and Denmark ; smallest from Russia. Used tor 
ladies' furs according to the prevalent fashion. A alue from 2s. 

^°F^dx, Silver.-She, 2 by 4 feet; overhair thick and fine 3 inches 
long, varied in colour from pale silver to a brilliant blue black; fur 
fine and curly ; its beauty places it at the head of all fancy f"rs ; the 
tail is a royal brush. The choicest are from Labrador and Moon 
Fort- those of Russia are more woolly and less valuable Used tor 
muffs, boas, and linings of robes. Price from £10 to £40. 

Fox, Cross.— Sot quite so large as the silver, with fine overhair but 
a shade of red at the points, and from the paleness of the fur making 
a distinct dark cross at the shoulders. Best are from the Hudson s 
Bay territory, and valued from £2 to £8. 

Fox, Blue. -Size the same as the cross, with grey-blue overhair, 
and a woolly fur. The finest are from Archangel on the White Sea, 
and from Greenland. Value from £2 to £4. 

Fox White —Size the same as the cross, with pure white over- 
hair and fur. The best are from Labrador, the poorest from Asia. 
Value from 4s. to 12s. ■. j <. ;„ 

Fox Fed— Well known to all northern nations; abundant m 
Europe, but in size and beauty inferior to the American family. 
The former fetch 4s., while those from Labrador are valued at lbs. 
Pox (?rw.— Only found in the United States. Overhair is grey 
sprinkled with silver on the back, the sides are yellow, and the taU 
an ashen grey. Value from 4s. to 8s. , . „, ^ n , 

Fox Kitt.—'Foimi in north-west America and m Tartary Over- 
hair fine; the back is a pure grey, the sides yellow, and the belly 
white. In size it is the smallest of the foxes. Price from Is to 3s. 
Hamster.— Size, 3 by 5 inches; hair short and close, back grey 
and the sides yellow. A great trouble to the farmers in GeTmany, 
who spare no pains to exterminate them. The pelt is made into 

linings for cloaks. 

ESre.—Ovevh&ir fine ; fur very long, fine, abundant and strong, 
pelt weak; colour grey and white. Best are from Russia ihis 
skin is largely used by furriers, but its fur is among the best tor 
hatters' purposes. Value from 5d. to Is. 



10 FUR AND THE FUR TRADE. 

Kolinsky. — Found only in Asia, and attains the size of the 
American mink ; overluiir a golden red, 1^ inches long. The tails 
make excellent pencils for painters. Value from 2s. to 4s. 

Lamb. — The finest, dark, close curled skins come from Persia; 
the next grade from the Crimea, and are grey in colour; inferior 
skins from Astrakhan. All these are used by furriers for caps, 
borders, and garments. The finest Persian are worth 12s. to £1, the 
Crimean 6s., and the Astrakhan from Is. to 2s. The lamb- 
skins of western Europe are used for lining gloves. Angora sheep 
are sometimes in demand, and are coloured red, blue, grey, and 
orange to suit the fashion for fringes and borders. Their value is 
from 12s. to £2. 

Lion. — The finest from Asia. Specimens are rare, and price 
variable. 

Lynx. — -Size, 2 by 3^ feet; overhair fine and flowing, of a clear 
silver blue shade, sprinkled with black ; length of overhair 3 to 4 
inches. Beet are from Sweden and Labrador. Value from 8s. to£l. 

Marten, American. — Size from 5 by 15 inches to 8 by 20 inches; 
overhair fine and flowing, 1 to 2 inches long; fur close and thick; 
colour of best a dark coffee brown, of poorest a pale yellow. The 
finest are from the Great Whale River and Labrador. Always a 
choice and valued pelt. Price of best £5, of poorest 2s. The 
tips of the tails are highly prized for artists' brushes. 

Marten, Stone. — Found in Europe; the best from Hungary and 
Turkey. Colour a dull grey, overhair coarse, and fur woolly. 
Value of best prime, 8s. to 12s. 

Marten, Baum. — Found in Europe and Asia, of fine overhair, but 
woolly fur, of a brownish colour, approaching that of the American 
marten, and furnished with a long and bushy tail. Value from £1 
to £2. 

Marten, Russian Sable. — These skins are in the highest estima- 
tion with furriers. Size about the same as the American marten, 
but the overhair is much more fine and flowing, of a rich bluish 
dark shade, and from H to 2^ inches long; the pelt is very soft, 
tough, and durable. The best are from Yakutsk in Sil)eria, the 
next from the Lena river, and the poorest from the lower Amoor. 
Very choice grades, but of a browner shade, are furnished by 
Kamchatka. Value of the poor Saghalien from 4s. to 8s. ; while 
the darkest from Okhotsk will command £30. 

Mink, American. — This valuable skin has nearly the size of the 
size of the marten, with an overhair that is shorter and slightly 
more rigid, but vies with the marten in elegance of lustre, the 
choicest having a dark blue shade that is always admired in furs. 
The best are from Nova Scotia, the State of Maine, and the Labrador 
coast. It is most abundant in the middle and north-western States. 
Value of the best, from 12s. to £2. 

Mink, Russian.— Oi smaller size than the American, and inferior 
in all other respects, but still a valuable pelt. Price of prime, from 
2s. to 6s. 

Monkey. — From the west coast of Africa; has a long, thin, 



FUR AND THE FUR TRADE. 1 1 

flowing hair; of various colours, chiefly black and dun grey. Has 
a limited use with furriers, fetching from 2s. to 6s. 

Musk- Rat.- — A well-known fur in North America. Size 8 by VI 
inches; overhair coarse and light brown ; fur fine, thick, and silky; 
in general favour with furriers, and available for a great variety of 
purposes. Best are from New England and New York ; very prolific 
in cultivated regions. The price is very fluctuating, and as the 
annual collection varies from three to five millions of skins, it is 
difficult to forecast the market value. Price for prime, from 6d. to 
:is. A variety of black coloured musk-rat from Delaware and 
Maryland fetches double the.se prices. 

Nutria. — From the La Plata, South America; in size and 
value between the beaver and the musk-rat ; overhair coarse and 
rigid; fur short and fine ; pelts too often un.sound, and hence the 
value of the fur is chiefly for hats. Price of dry skins from Is. to 
2s. per pound. 

Opossum. — Chiefly from the United States, but some also from 
Australia. Overhair long, coarse and whitish grey; fur woolly. 
Best from Ohio. Value from 5d. to 2s. 

Otter. — Comes from all northern countries. Size of best, 2 by 5 
feet ; overhair thick and close ; colour brown black. Best are from 
Labrador and Canada. The skin is in high reputation and general 
use with furriers. Value of best, £1, 10s. to £3. 

Otter, Sea. — Found only in the North Pacific Ocean, on the 
coasts of Alaska, Kamchatka, and Japan. Size, 2 by 6 feet ; 
overhair exceedingly fine, and extending but little beyond the fur, 
which itself is very thick, close, fine, and silky ; colour dark brown, 
occasionally with silver points regularly interspersed ; pelt pliable 
and firm. The poorest skins are not more valuable than those of 
the beaver; but the fine choice s))ecimens command from £20 to 
£100. They are in high repute with the Russians and Chine.se. 

Rahhit. — Size, 10 by 16 inches; fur thick and fine; pelt weak; 
colour !ill shades from black to white. Best are found in England, 
but the purest white come from Poland. The best coloured skins are 
used by furriers, but niurh the larger portion is cut for hatters' fur. 
The animal is largely bred in warrens, and its flesh used as food; the 
pelts thus become of secondary importance, and, being abundant, 
supply a cheap fur. 

Raccoon.^One of the peculiar and valuable pelts of the United 
States, and flourishing best in cultivated regions. Size, 1 by 2 
feet ; overhair not fine, but bright in colour, 3 inches long, thick, 
and flowing; fur resembling that of the beaver; colour from silver 
blue to grey brown and coffee brown. Best are from Michigan and 
Ohio. Average value of prime, 4s. Some specimens vie with the 
fi.sher in its peculiar shade, and some even with the silver fox, and 
such rare skins bring from £1 to £4. 

Seal, Hair.—ChxB^y from the North Atlantic. Size from 3 to 
10 feet; hair coarse and rigid; no fur; divided into white coats, 
blue backs, mottled, and ordinary. Used for saddlery and military 
purposes. Average price, 2s. 



12 FUR AND THE FUR TRADE. 

Seal, Fur. — Found only in the Pacific and in the South Atlantic. 
Size of the wigs, 4 by 8 feet ; of the large, 3 by 6 feet ; middling, 2^ 
by 5 feet ; small, 2 by 4 feet ; the pups vary in length from 2 to 4 
feet. Overhair coarse and rigid; fur fine, thick, silky, and very 
uniformly distributed. Pelt thin, pliable, and of light weight. 
The largest number come from Alaska, whence 100,000 are allowed 
by law to be brought annually. The best of these are the prime 
middling pups. Value varies from £1 to £3 in the salted state. 
A few fine skins come from the coast of British Columbia, and 
being caught in winter are in prime condition. The choicest skins 
are taken on the South Shetland and South Georgia Islands in the 
Antarctic Ocean. Fur fine beyond comparison ; pelt very pliable 
light, and thin and firm. Value salted, from £2 to £10. 

Skunk. — Another peculiar production of North America. Size, 
10 by 16 inches long; overhair fine, 3 inches long, dark blue and 
coffee brown, thick, glossy, and flowing. Many have two white 
stripes, more or less broad, extending from the head to the tail. 
It is now easy to deodorize the skin, and the fur is a popular one in 
aU countries. The best are from New York and Ohio ; value of 
best prime black, from 4s. to 10s. 

Squirrel. — Only those of northern Europe and Asia have a value 
as merchandise. American are wortliless. Size, 3 by 6 inches; 
overhair and fur equally fine ; colour from pale blue to clear dark 
blue; best are from eastern Siberia; palest and poorest from 
European Russia; bellies white; tails long and bushy. This fur 
is in universal demand among furriers for muffs and linings, as well 
as for large garments. Pelt pliable and tough ; fur durable, close, 
and fine. The tails are made into boas and brushes. 

Tiger. — Specimens are rare. Those from Bengal are large and 
short in hair, but well marked ; while those from northern China 
have hair 2 to 3 inches long, and frequently measure 10 to 14 feet 
in length. Value of the latter, from £10 to £20. 

IVolf.— The largest are from Labrador, measuring from 4 to 6 
feet long, chiefly grey-brown in colour, with long, flowing, coarse 
overhair. The finest are from Fort Clmrchill, and fetch a high 
price. The American prairie wolf is a variety inferior in every 
respect. Price of best, £2 ; of the inferior, 4s. The wolf is very 
destructive of the fur-bearing animals, and is an object of extermina- 
tion with all trappers. 

Wolverin. — From Russia, Norway, and Hudson's Bay. Colour 
a clear dark brown, overhair coarse, 2^ inches long. Value from 
12s. to 24s. 

Of the fur-bearers, those that seek their food ia water 
have their finest but shortest fur on the belly, and longer 
fur upon the back ; while those that avoid the rivers have 
their longest and finest fur upon the back, and their bellies 
clothed with fine, long, flowing overhair. 

Dressing. — Raw furs are made ready for use by softening 



PUK AND THE rUU TRADE. 13 

the pelt with pure butter or sweet oil, trampling them iu 
tubs filled with fine hardwood sawdust at about blood heat, 
drawing the pelt over a sharp knife to remove every particle 
of flesh, and finally trampling them again in clean sawdust. 
The pelt thus becomes soft and pliable like the fine kid 
used for gloves. They are then ready for the furrier, who 
assoi-ts the skins as to colour and overhair, and cuts them 
in various v/ays to bring them to the pattern of the article 
required. Having been sewed together with a close, fine 
overseam, the article is damped, and stretched upon a 
smooth pine board after a pattern marked, then nailed 
along its edges and left to dry. After removal from the 
board the article is trimmed, and softened by rubbing, and 
is tlien ready for the liner. The skill of the furrier lies iu 
the taste exhibited m the arrangement of the furs, and in 
the economy of use of material. 

Dyeing, — Furs are dyed in a variety of ways to make 
them uniform in colour, and adapt them to the fashion and 
taste of the time. Ordinarily this is a cheap and ready 
process, and only becomes an art when employed upon fine 
skins, from which the overhair has been first removed by 
plucking, leaving the fur alone to receive the dye-stuft'. 
Among these are the skins of the musk rat, beaver, otter, 
and especially the fur seal ; the last has received very 
careful attention, as its entire value depends upon the 
perfection and success of the process. XJnprime fur seals 
part with their overhair very reluctantly, while the seasoned 
skins are very readily unhaired, leaving the fur in all its 
smoothness ; thus the best grades are likely to be very 
good, while the rest rank only from ordinary to very com- 
mon. A subsequent process is the removal of all grease 
from the fur, which is eflfected by repeated washings in 
softened water ; if this is imperfectly done, the colour will 
be uneven and not permanent. The final work is to 
prepare a dye of suitable strength, and apply it in a suitable 
way, to infuse the colouring matters into the fur, without 
suffering too much of it to reach the pelt, whereby its 
durability might be ruined. London claims to have accom- 
plished this for the sealskin in a manner that distances all 
competition ; and it certainly enjoys a wide popularity, as 



lu crcivn Svo, price 2j cents each, paper wrapper. 



FRANKLIN: A SKETCH. 
By JOHN BIGELOW. 

GREAT FIRES AND FIRE EXTINCTION. 
By a. p. ROCKWELL. 

FUR AND THE FUR TRADE. 
By M. M. backus. 

FLORIDA: ITS HISTORY, CONDITION, 

AND RESOURCES. 

By S. a. drake. 



BOSTON : LITTLE, BROWN, AND CO. 






W:!^ 



